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Monday, May 9, 2011

Chicago's Hey Champ lambasted us last summer with glossy electro-pop via their LP Star, a solid tutorial and exercise in '80s inspired dance rock. After a tour that took these Midwesterners (and their dynamic live shows) as far as South America, the trio has recently been toiling away in the studio, crafting tunes that will make up a new EP set to drop this summer.

The group has released "Anything At All" as the first single from the upcoming EP. The track is an infectious synth-driven tune that is paced and restrained at the start but gradually builds to a boisterous payoff. While the musical composition is sanguine, the lyrics are cynical and self-critical, if not downright dark. Vocalist Saam Hagshenas exorcises his self-perceived naivete, re-analyzes an optimistic outlook that has let him down in the past, and takes a more critical position on what lies ahead: "I was all for the future when the future was possible." The combo of upbeat electro-sounds and not-so-upbeat lyrics give "Anything At All" some valuable depth and make the track much more than a simple dance inciter.

Listen to "Anything At All" here (as well as additional new EP tracks "Stereode" and "Silver City") and download it gratis below (if you give up your precious e-mail address).

BONUS! For a taste of Hey Champ's older tunes, check out the slow-mo, sweat soaked vid for "Cold Dust Girl," an absolute JAM from Star. Pick up Starhere, should you get the itch.